Co-op has launched a new flexible compassionate leave policy to better support its 57,000 colleagues when dealing with bereavement.
Rolling out from ‘day one’ of employment, the convenience retailer’s updated policy will see colleagues provided with double the number of days paid leave, increasing from five to 10.
The flexible approach will also give managers the discretion to allow for further paid days leave to be taken based on individual circumstances.
Available from today (3 May), the new policy comes as research comissioned by Co-op with YouGov, found that 62% of employees think bereavement should be treated as a workplace issue with support available for colleagues.
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“Here at Co-op, we want to support our colleagues when someone close to them dies or is seriously ill. We want everyone to ask for the support they need and will always handle things as sensitively as possible,” Co-op chief people and inclusion officer, Claire Costello said.
Also looking to put emphasis on the ‘closeness of the bond’ that has been lost, the relationship to the person who has been bereaved doesn’t have to be an ‘immediate family’ member, and can a be friend, colleague or cousin.
“We know that modern life can be complicated, so there are no restrictions about the relationships or situations that we give compassionate leave for,” Costello added.
“We also know that the death of someone close, or finding out about a terminal diagnosis, can affect people in different ways, so our new compassionate leave policy provides the right support to everyone.”
